Ennis 2-year-old hospitalized with E. coli

DALLAS - An Ennis 2-year-old boy is off life support after being exposed to an aggressive strain of E. coli.

Landon Huston's parents suspect a recent visit to an Oklahoma watering hole as a potential source of the infection. Health officials are investigating.

The young boy had gone into kidney failure and then had further complications that landed him on a ventilator. So the fact that he's breathing and even eating on his own now is the best news his parents could ask for.

The trouble all started on Saturday, June 3. The family went to a popular Oklahoma waterfall and visited the motel pool. Within days, they say Landon had severe stomach issues that got worse, landing him in the ER.

After undergoing surgeries and dialysis, the 2-year-old is starting to recover. His parents say they had no idea their child's health could suddenly take a terrible turn because of bacteria, but they're grateful he's bouncing back.

“He was on life support two days ago,” explained his mom, Lyndsey Montgomery. “And today, they are like we are going to take him off of everything. And the nurses are like that's unheard of. They said this is not just something that gets better in a week.”

“Typically when you identify a case, it suggests a common source,” explained Dr. Jeffrey Kahn with Children’s Health. “And this really sets in motion a public health effort to try to identify the source.”

Kahn says the exact source can be hard to pinpoint and health officials are also looking at everything Landon ate as a possible culprit.

Landon's mom says he still has one more surgery to go, so it's unclear when he might be released. She's just happy he's improving and says the experience has been a real eye opener for their family.